BART, which stands for Broadcast Alert Respond Turnout, is a new callout system being implemented at Medowie Rural Fire Brigade.

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After a successful trial period, brigade members have voted to ‘go live’ with using the BART system at last month’s general meeting.

Brigade Captain Andrew Collins said the BART system is a welcome addition to assist with the management of our emergency response.

“Traditionally, after a Triple-Zero call, the operator will activate the pagers of our local brigade members and those available will turn out to the station,” explains Capt. Collins.

“The Officer on duty then assembles an appropriate crew – depending on the type of incident – and the first truck then responds with a second (or third) if required, and in essence, this is how it has operated for the last 75 years.

The BART system uses an app on the members smartphone and is activated via the pager alert.

Members can then register their attendance or decline (unavailable).

Most importantly, the system shows which members are on their way to the station and their qualifications.

This means the Crew Leader can start assembling a crew to respond and not have to wait for everyone to arrive at the station first.

“The other advantage is that, since all our members are volunteers, if it’s one in the morning, in the middle of winter and there is a small garbage bin fire, other members can see that there are already eight people responding and they can curl back up in bed and stay warm,” Capt. Collins says jokingly.

“Though many will still turn out anyway because all our members pride themselves on our professional standard,” he added.